I'm really looking forward to this place. It should really light up that corner.

I haven't had the chance to dine at The Kitchen, but everyone I know that has gone and every review I read say it's an amazing dining experience.

Design Global, Eat Local

Another sign of Sacramento’s growing sophistication: When the owners of The Kitchen decided to open a restaurant on the K Street Mall, they turned to an international design firm with an impressive roster of clients to create the new restaurant’s look.

The Selland family hired UXUS Design (based in Amsterdam and Napa) to design their $4 million restaurant, Ella Dining Room and Bar, scheduled to open later this summer. The Sellands are in illustrious company: UXUS clients include Levi’s, Nike, McDonald’s, Comme des Garçons and Oilily.

Randall Selland, The Kitchen’s famously extroverted chef/owner, wanted Ella to have a look of rustic luxury that was “world-class, not provincial,” according to UXUS creative co-director George Gottl.
Located on the ground floor of The Cathedral Building at the corner of 12th and K streets, the 7,000-square-foot restaurant will seat about 200 people in three separate dining areas.

The main dining room will feature an open kitchen and floor-to-ceiling drapery panels that can be used to close off sections of the restaurant for privacy. The centerpiece of the room will be two tables d’hôte, or host’s tables, next to the kitchen.

There will be a small private dining room and a communal table in the bar.

With its muted color scheme and understated lighting, the space promises to be “pale and brooding,” says Gottl’s partner, architect and creative co-director Oliver Michell. (A third partner, Erika Gottl, acts as general manager.) “It’s very postmodern,” George Gottl adds.

I had the pleasure of dining at The Kitchen about four years ago and it is nothing short of extraordinary. This is one of not just Sacramento's, but all of California's best kept culinary secrets. Food is outstanding - a notch below the French Laundry, but what isn't - but nothing comes close to the presentation/experience. Nothing in New York, nothing in SF, nothing in Vegas... hell, nothing in Paris.

Treat yourself soon.

I will make a trip home to sample Ella (I hope) soon after it opens. I have high expectations, but am confident that Selland won't let me down.

The "Suzie Burger" restaurant went to Design Director last night and was approved. The plan is an adaptive reuse of an existing gas station structure on the corner of 29th and P. I like it on many levels: it is an adaptive reuse of a building with some architectural style, it will bring activity and light to a currently abandoned corner, which increases public safety, it brings back the name of a locally historic restaurant chain (they even found a former Suzie Burger cook to guarantee the authenticity of the burgers), and best of all, it's the kind of fine dining I like! I don't really care much (well, okay, at all) for most of this fancy-shmancy high-end dining, wine bar, euro lounge kind of stuff I see opening lately. I'm the sort of man who likes a burger and fries, preferably cheap.

Hours are supposed to be 11 AM-9 PM but they are exploring staying open until midnight. I hope they do--sometimes the call of the burger hits around 10:00 PM, and this place is a short walk from my front door.

Good to hear. I pass by that site quite a bit and I have been wondering why they hadn't got going yet (I don't need a 4 paragraph explanation why :-)). I've been looking for a replacement for Willie's (been very diappointing the last quite a few times) for a quick pick up on the way home. Too bad Nations isn't open a bit later. They are also going to have Cheesesteaks which is in short supply in Sac. (at least in the grid)

I had the pleasure of dining at The Kitchen about four years ago and it is nothing short of extraordinary. This is one of not just Sacramento's, but all of California's best kept culinary secrets. Food is outstanding - a notch below the French Laundry, but what isn't - but nothing comes close to the presentation/experience. Nothing in New York, nothing in SF, nothing in Vegas... hell, nothing in Paris.

Treat yourself soon.

I will make a trip home to sample Ella (I hope) soon after it opens. I have high expectations, but am confident that Selland won't let me down.

I was reading a profile of him a short time ago and he was saying he has had many offers and oppurtunites to relocate The Kitchen to Napa Valley. Glad he stuck around.

Yup, Nations is darn good. $$$$$ though. Squeeze Inn on Fruitridge is damn good from what i hear, as is Jim-Denny's. I haven't had a chance to eat at either though.

Fords is still really good, but has gone downhill a bit over the years. Wilie's used to be my place of choice, but for some reason it's really been bad (other than the shakes) lately. My favorites shakes are at Whitey's in West Sac.

I used to go to Nationwide Freezer Meats a lot at its old location (24th and J) but I have stopped by the 20th and H spot a couple of times. They're pretty good meat. I recommend the peanut butter milkshake.

Non four paragraph reason why they haven't opened yet: they started their marketing campaign before they started applying to the city for the permits, and that takes a while.

It's almost the season for their fresh peach shakes... YUM! Nothin better than a fresh peach and strawberry shake with a Whitey Special (no Onion) with Onion rings (Why yes, I am weird. Why do you ask?)...

Does drooling count as losing water weight?

__________________My new mantra: Principles over politics; Faith over religion.Something I wish we could all agree on...

Nationwide does a chocolate peanut butter shake too...they also use chunky peanut butter, which means that one's straw must occasionally be cleared of peanut chunks. It's an experience.

The other fine burger in town is at Jim-Denny's on 12th and Terminal.

Deserving of special mention is McCormick & Schmick's "happy hour" menu: $1.99 for things like artichoke parmesan dip, buffalo wings, or, more to the point, a cheeseburger and fries. It's a darn fine burger, too. There is a two-drink minimum, and it's only available during "happy hour," but they have several: one from 4-6 PM weekdays, and another after like 9 PM Monday-Thursday. I have found that it's an excellent way to decompress after spending a hungry evening at a board/commission/city council meeting, as they are open until midnight on weekdays. Normally I would find a place like McCormick & Schmick's a bit out of my price range, but I do like the decor in there (lots of wood, classic style, lots of great old photos of Sacramento everywhere) and they serve what I can quite confidently call the best $1.99 burger in town.

If you like Fish, then you gotta go to Fins Fish Market & Grill (19th & S Streets)

We had lunch there this afternoon. The fish was excellent! They serve beer (Sac Brewing Co, Madhouse, Fat Tire) on tap.....and wine too.

That corner is looking good, FINALLY!

I went there last night. It stays open only until 9pm though. It was good and tasty. Yeah that corner is looking really nice. Across the street a Greek place is opening up soon and down the street a new bistro with codos above is nearly done. One block from that is the Whiskey Hill Lofts -nearing completion and a block another way a couple of the 'brownstone' townhouses are up -but not finished.

Daphne's is the Greek place opening across the street. I think the place in the lofts is called "Tulip" or something like that.

And I still prefer Jim Denny's #2 to Nationwide. Nationwide won't cook their burgers anything less than well done these days and they're a bit dry IMHO. Nationwide's fries are good if you like thick cut - I prefer the thin ones at JDs #2 myself. I still need to try Squeeze Inn and Whitey's.

And another IMHO, I've been to both the French Laundry and The Kitchen twice each in the last 3 years and while the Kitchen is good, it's at least 1-2 magnitudes lower in food quality than the French Laundry. The experiences are totally different though. One is is stiff and refined while the other is much more of a great social experience. Comparing the two is a bit tough for that reason alone. But the quality, imagination, and presentation of the food at the French Laundry is a lot better than The Kitchen, while The Kitchen has a much more enjoyable social setup.

The main dining room will feature an open kitchen and floor-to-ceiling drapery panels that can be used to close off sections of the restaurant for privacy. The centerpiece of the room will be two tables d’hôte, or host’s tables, next to the kitchen.

There will be a small private dining room and a communal table in the bar.

Interesting that it will have a communal table. I was just reading a front page article in yesterday's SF Chronicle about this and how it's becoming really popular in the bay area. I wonder if there are other communal table restaurants in Sac.